


Letters to Batman

by loofingaround



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batman Beyond, DC Animated Universe (Timmverse), DCU
Genre: Autistic Character, Brotherly Affection, Brotherly Bonding, Family Feels, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Matt McGinnis is autistic, Terry McGinnis is a good bro, as in, at least to be mentioned, bad grammar, bruce will show up later, its not like the focus but its shows up here and there, oh yeah
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:13:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26332453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loofingaround/pseuds/loofingaround
Summary: Matt starts sending letters to Batman for a school assignment. Terry starts answering his fan mail.
Relationships: Matt McGinnis & Terry McGinnis
Comments: 18
Kudos: 81





	1. Start

Matt huffed, pushing the passcode into his front door and waiting for it to slide open. Stomping inside, he trekked past Terry.

"Bad day?" His brother asked, looking up from his spot on the couch. 

"I don't want to talk about it," Matt hissed.

Terry didn't follow up with any more questions, recognizing it was better to let Matt fume awhile. After the kid had a moment to stew, Terry would come in and save the day, but interfering any sooner would just get him screamed at and lead Matt to having a breakdown.

Matt threw his bag down in his bedroom, locking his door behind him. He trudged to his bed and face planted into his pillow. He practiced some breathing exercises his councilor taught him, holding back the urge to yell.

When he'd calmed down a little and his anger had simmered, he sat up and leaned down to grab his backpack. He ripped his notebook out of it, grumbling and grabbing a pencil. Turning to a blank page he started writing, muttering under his breath. Hearing a knock at his door, he grunted. 

"What? I'm busy." 

"Lemme in, Matt."

Matt let out a long, loud sigh, pulling himself to the bedroom door to unlock it. He scrambled back to his bed before Terry could walk in. Hands in his lap, he waited for his brother's entrance. 

Terry stepped into the room, looking tired as ever, ready to start an argument. "Hey twip, what's wrong?" 

Matt rolled his eyes, flopping back onto his bed.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Uh huh. What if I promise to take you to Cheesey Dan's this weekend? That sweeten the deal?" Terry asked as he took a seat on Matt's bed.

"Why do you care?" Matt grumbled, nudging at Terry's thigh with his foot. 

Terry grabbed his foot, wiggling it around before tossing Matt's leg back on the bed, smiling at him. "C'mon, Matty, you're my brother. Why wouldn't I care?"

"That doesn't sound very realistic." 

"Okay, what if I told you I was only checking in to make sure you weren't up to any schemes?"

"Now that sounds more like you!" Matt snorted looking at his brother. He knew Terry probably really was asking about him just cause he...  _ Loved _ Matt, but it felt easier to block all of that junk out and pretend things were the same as they were before Terry moved back in with their mom and Matt.

"So let me save the world before you get revenge on whatever wronged you," Terry continued, putting on a mock serious voice, "what happened, Matt?" 

The boy sighed again, biting at his lip. His hands twisted in his lap and his mind worked in overdrive to find a suitable answer. He didn't want to say too much because, well, c'mon, this was Terry! But he couldn't say too little without the threat of not getting Terry off his back. And it wouldn't comfort him at all if he kept everything bottled up.

"It's just a dumb assignment for school," Matt finally spat out. 

"Which class is it for?" Terry asked.

"Special help."

"Ah, with the teacher you don't like for hidden reasons?" 

"It's not that I don't like her! Matt whined, "she's just... Whatever, you wouldn't understand." 

"You're right, I don't," Terry agreed, leaning over where Matt was sprawled on the bed, "so help me out here. I can't read your mind, twip." 

"She gave us an assignment. And I failed it. She's making me redo the whole thing," Matt ground out, glaring at his brother. 

"Wait what? Why? What was the assignment?" 

"We had to choose a personal hero to write too, someone who's helped us," Matt explained, "and she said my hero wasn't appropriate." Matt scoffed, avoiding eye contact now.

"Who was your hero, Matt?"

The younger boy shrugged, face hearing up, "you'll think it's stupid too."

"I promise not to laugh or judge, buddy," Terry swore, hands up in a placating move.

Matt sucked in a breath before giving in, "I wrote to Batman."

Terry seemed to pause, emotions flashing over his face. Confusion, pride, worry, before he settled on a small smile. "So your teacher doesn't like Batman, huh?" 

Matt scoffed, "that's not even the half of it. She screamed about what a menace he was for thirty minutes. Then she said I had to choose a real hero and write my letter tonight. We were supposed to send the letters out today, but she says we can't since I'm not done. I'm holding up the class."

Terry winced and shot him a sympathetic look, "well slag her, she doesn't know what she's talking about. How about I help you with your new letter so we can knock it out real quick." 

Matt shifted on his bed before finally sitting up. He shrugged and pulled up his pencil and paper, scooting over to let Terry sit next to him. "You don't have to," he said. 

"It's fine, I got time before work."

The two sat there for about an hour, Matt writing and Terry helping him with spelling and grammar along the way. His new letter was addressed to Commissioner Gordon, thanking her for all her hard work. Terry seemed to find the subject funny, and Matt wasn't sure if it was because of Terry's previous run in with cops, or because he also liked Mrs. Gordon. 

Either way, he ended up finishing much faster this go around. Skipping the editing process and putting his work away, he watched Terry get up. 

"Thanks, Terry."

"No problem, now where's your other letter?" His brother asked, turning back towards him.

"What do you mean?"

"The letter to Batman, do you still have it?" Terry asked. 

"Yea, why do you want it?" Matt asked defensively.

Terry picked at some non-existent dirt on his shirt, avoiding looking at Matt. "Nothing bad, calm down kid. I was just thinking, maybe if we have an envelope, we can send it out?" 

Matt gasped, "send it- to Batman?"

"Who else, it's written for him."

Matt dug into his backpack, looking for his crumpled letter. It was buried at the bottom and all sorts of messy when he pulled it back out. 

"How do we know what address to put on it?" Matt asked. 

"I hear the Commissioner has Batman locked up somewhere at the police station. Our best bet is sending it there," Terry explained.

Matt nodded, it made sense. Batman did work with the police a lot. He let Terry take his paper and followed his brother to his mom's room, watching him pull out a stamp and envelope from her closet.

Terry put the letter in and sealed the envelope, getting a laugh from Matt when he cringed at the taste of the glue. Passing it back to Matt, he instructed the kid on how to write out the address and put the stamp on. 

Finishing up, Matt ran to the front door, waiting for it to slide open so he could shove his letter into the mailbox. 

"Thanks, Terry!" Matt clambered excitedly, returning back inside.

"Of course. Try and stay out of trouble with your teacher, though." 

"Uh huh," Matt half promised, scurrying back to his room to finish his other homework, feeling much lighter than before. If the address was right, Batman could get his letter! And he might even answer Matt! Screw his teacher, this was amazing news. He'd have to remember to do something nice for Terry later.

* * *

That night, long after his mom and Matt had gone to sleep, Terry snuck back into his room. It was a long patrol, and Terry was tired. His shoulders ached and some thug landed a lucky kick to his ribs that was sure to hurt in the morning. Or later in the morning. Setting his backpack down, Terry shuffled out of his room, headed towards the front door, he made sure the alarm was off before opening it. Reaching outside, he popped open their mailbox and pulled Matt's letter out.

"Let's see, fan mail for Batman," Terry smiled, eyeing Matt's messy handwriting. 

Terry locked the door and headed back to his room, sitting down heavily on his bed. The letter in his hands was light, only a page or so long, it seemed. Matt had seemingly worked hard on it despite how short it was. And his teacher had outright rejected it without even reading it.

Terry hummed and peeled the envelope open, reaching in to take the lined paper out. Messy scrawl greeted him, and he couldn't hold back a grin.

"Alright Matt, what do you have to say to the big Bat?"

_ Dear Batman, _

_ Hello, my name is Matt McGinnis. I'm in fourth grade at Hamilton Elementary. I'm writing you because I think your a hero. I know a lot of people think youre bad but that's only cause theyre old. I know you help people, and youre way more schway than most heros. Superman has nothing on you, Batman is way slammin.  _

_ I have a friend in class, he says you've saved him before. His name's Miguel, and he really likes Danger Dan. If you remember him, maybe say hi to him in your response? He would think it was cool.  _

_ The reason you're my hero is because after my dad died, everything was a mess. My mom was sad and my brother was totally slammed. He couldn't do anything. But then you came along and started knocking around the Jokerz and gothams baddest guys, and things started to get better! Even though all the adults are mean, I think it is schway you still are defending them. _

_ Your fan,  _

_ Matt _

Terry bit his lip, holding back laughter. It was sweet, cute even, that Matt liked Batman so much. Enough so to stand out against his teacher and other adults that didn't share the same opinion. It was a little shocking to know Matt and Miguel were friends. A welcomed coincidence, Miguel needed more friends who could respect his Danger Dan ways. He'd have to remember to say hello to him in his response.

Grabbing his laptop, Terry typed out his response, making sure it'd be enough to cheer up his brother.


	2. A Response

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt's dropping out.

“I’m going to drop out.”

“Matt, sweetie, don’t be dramatic. And eat your peas,” his mom sighed, pointing to his plate. 

“It’s not fair. I should’ve gotten an A,” Matt grumbled, taking a bite of his cooling dinner. 

Terry glanced up from his own dinner, taking in the sight of his brother. The kid was glaring at his plate, cheeks red with annoyance. Deciding to take the bait, Terry asked, “which project is this?”

“The stupid letter assignment. My teacher gave me a seventy.”

“What? But you redid the entire thing. I checked it off, there's no way you had any major mistakes,” Terry prodded. 

Matt rolled his eyes, “she said since I wasted her time writing to Batman first I lost points.” 

“You wrote to Batman?” Their mom asked, torn between looking surprised and unpulsed. 

Matt shrugged, the blush on his cheeks spreading to the tips of his ears. 

“He did, and it wasn’t anything bad either. A few grammar mistakes here and there but nothing fail worthy. Your teach is just a stick in the mudd, Matty,” Terry insisted, feeling irritated on the kids behalf. 

“Which teacher is this? Maybe I should call the school.” 

Matt turned to their mom, telling her about his assisted learning teacher and his previous assignment. Terry sat back in his seat, listening to the two and agreeing with Matt here and there. Eventually the room quieted down again, Matt looking thoroughly less upset, eating happily. 

“Oh wait! Mom, did you check the mail?” Matt asked, sitting up in his chair. His mom hummed, shaking her head. 

“No, my hands were full when I got home. Why?” She answered, getting up and starting to grab their plates. 

“I sent Batman my letter a few days ago and he still hasn’t responded,” Matt frowned.

Terry held back a smile, “well, he’s a busy guy. Maybe you should go check?” 

Matt nodded, scrambling up from his seat and making his way to the door. The noises of him working the front door open were drowned out by Terry’s mom clicking her tongue. She continued to work on the dishes, but looked at Terry over her shoulder. “Terry, it’s nice of you to indulge your brother but don’t let this go on too long, okay?” 

“What do you mean, mom?” He asked, getting up to stand next to her. He grabbed a dish rag and got to drying the cleaned dishes, avoiding his moms gaze. Of course she could already tell what was going on. Mom instinct. 

“I don’t want him getting overly attached to some hero. I’m glad you’re helping him out, but don’t let these letters go on too long. You know how he’ll act if he finds out you’re the one writing him and not the real Batman,” she sighed. 

Terry nodded, looking anywhere besides his mom gaze, “I don’t know what you mean mom. It’ll be fine.”

Before she had a chance to reprimand him, Matt came scrambling back into the room with a letter clasped in his hands. He happily bounced up to them, smacking Terry in the chest with the envelope. “It’s here! I’m going to my room!” 

“Make sure your homework is done first,” Mary called after him.

Terry set the dishrag down, side stepping past his mom and sneaking out the room, “homework's a good idea, see you later mom!”

“We’ll finish this conversation later,” she called after him. 

Terry peaked into Matt’s room seeing the boy laying on his bed and reading his letter excitedly. He continued to his room, plopping down on his own bed and taking out his laptop. Homework wasn’t a bad idea, he was behind in physics and he seriously needed to get his English essay out of the way. Bruce also expected him to patrol tonight, he had some leads on the Royal Flush gang that he wanted Terry to follow up. It was going to be a long night. 

Halfway through his essay writing, he jerked up to the sound of someone noisy crashing into his room. Matt zoomed to his side, pushing his newest letter into Terry’s line of sight. Terry reached into his desk drawer to grab out an envelope while Matt excitedly explained the response he got from Batman. 

“And he even wrote a note to Miguel! And he asked me how my classes are going, and-” 

Terry shushed him, sliding the envelope into his hands. “That’s awesome, Matt. You remember how to write the address, right? I got homework to do, how about you send this one off on your own?” 

Matt huffed but nodded, clamoring back out of the room after a pause. Terry got back to work, gazing at everything he still had to do. 

By the time Terry was coming home from patrol, he only had an hour or so before he had to be up for school. The Batman sighed, stretching out and hissing in pain when the movement pulled his sore muscles. Adrenaline was still pumping through him, the rush from a hard fight leaving him shaky and unable to get to sleep. He sat in his bed, hunched over and thinking of what he could do to calm down. 

Then he remembered he still had Matt’s letter to answer. Terry shifted to the edge of his bed, hefting himself up and making his way to the front door. He made sure any alarms were off before he reached out, flipping open the mailbox and pulling out the only mail inside. Closing both the box and the door, Terry made sure to reset the alarms before trudging back to his room, collapsing onto his bed once more. 

“Let’s see what my fans wrote to me today,” he mumbled, ripping open the seal on the envelope. Letting the notebook paper inside drop into his hands, he got comfortable, ready to read.

_ Dear Batman, _

_ Thank you so much for sending me something back! My brother said you would but hes wrong a lot, so I didn’t want to get my hopes up. I’m never gonna lose this letter, I swear, I’ll keep it safe.  _

_ When I see Miguel I’ll give him the note you wrote to him. I bet hes gonna be so happy. I wanted to show my teacher the letter yuo wrote me but I think she might just take it away and call mom so I’m not going to let her know. Also schools been okay, I got a one hundred on my multipulcation test last friday, I was the only one in my whole class who got one. Its cause my brother made me memorize the multiplication table. He says if dad made him learn it, I have to know it too.  _

_ I hope your doing good too. The news said you fought the kobra gang and they showed a clip of you getting hit really hard. I hope your okay. Thanks again for writing me! _

_ Matt. _

_ ps: do you have any cool pics of you fighting crime at night? The ones on the news are so blurry _

Terry held back a laugh, setting the letter aside. He’d have to write the answer later, reading had relaxed him a bit too much and now exhaustion had crept in. He’d have to wait a while to answer Matt again, if he received responses too soon the kid would no doubt suspect something was up. But that gave Terry plenty of time to check the Batmobile's cameras to see if it had any footage of Terry going toe to toe with any of Gotham’s baddies. 

Stretching out, Terry tucked the letter in his drawer and settled down to nap before his mom came to wake him up. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow i updated this


	3. Dumpster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt has a bad day. Terry is the leading cause.

“Matt we’re not going back out.”

“But I forgot my comic! I left it on the table!”

“I think getting away from a Jokers attack is more important than a stupid comic,” Terry bit out, readjusting his grip on Matt’s arm to pull him further away from the current active crime going on behind them. 

“But-”

“No buts!” Terry picked his brother up, looking for somewhere to hide him. It wouldn’t do any good to ditch him to hide alone, no way Matt could get away in a timely manner. Terry spotted a dumpster and winced. 

“Terry, where are we-?”

“Sorry, Matt. Try to be quiet?” Terry apologized, dropping his brother into the bin and slamming the lid shut. He jammed the lock, he didn’t need Matt jumping out and running into trouble while Terry was busy. 

Ignoring his brother's distraught yelling, Terry tore his backpack off and got suited up, headed back into the fray. 

Matt was seething. He wouldn’t even look at Terry. Worse, he didn’t even reach out to hold Terry’s hand when they crossed the road. Instead he was pointedly looking down, dry tear streaks on his cheeks and an angry red blush branching from the tips of his ears to his neck. He smelled awful and some sort of pasta sauce was covering his jacket. He’d refused to wear Terry’s instead. 

“C’mon, Matty, I’m sorry. You saw the Jokerz had guns, I didn’t want you getting hurt,” it was the truth but now Terry was thinking he probably should’ve found Matt a different hiding spot. One that wasn't the dumpster behind some sleazy restaurant. 

Matt didn’t respond and jerked away when Terry reached out to him. The Bat dropped his hand, a scowl forming on his face. The two made quite the sight, both glaring at their shoes, one dirty from a scuffle and the other dripping his rotten food. If the stares they were getting from the people they walked past were annoying Terry, he couldn’t imagine what was going on in Matt’s head. 

When they made it home, Matt pushed past him and stomped his way to the bathroom. Terry sighed, there wasn’t anything he could do at this point other than wait for Matt to calm down a bit. 

“Boys,” his mom called from somewhere down the hall, “you’re home late?”

“Hey mom. Yea, there was a Jokerz attack. We’re okay.” Mostly. 

His mom turned the corner, looking him over then pulled him into a hug, “you’re actually okay?”

Terry pulled her in, resting his head against hers. “I’m actually okay, don’t worry so much.”

She pulled back, glancing behind him. “Where’s Matt?”

Avoiding eye contact at all costs, Terry pointed towards the bathroom. Mary gave him a look; she made her way to the bathroom and tried the door. When it opened, she gasped. 

“Matthew, what the hell is that stench? What did you do to your jacket?” 

Matt grumbled, his jacket was tossed to the floor but the clothes underneath weren’t fairing much better. The small room stunk with the garbage covering the boy and it was obvious it was annoying him. 

“We are not keeping those in the house. Get your clothes off and hand them hear, I’ll get a garbage bag,” Mary sighed, holding her nose. 

“But this is my good jacket,” Matt whined, speaking up for the first time since Terry had pulled him out the dumpster. 

Their mom grimaced, shaking her head, “I know, we’ll get you a new one.”

“But-”

She snapped her fingers towards Terry, “please, go grab a garbage bag. Matt, give me your clothes.” 

Terry headed to the kitchen grabbing a bag and carrying it back, trying not to listen to his mom chastise Matt. 

“It’s not really his fault, mom,” Terry told her earnestly. 

She clicked her tongue, “I don’t care what the story is, I’m sure the Jokerz were involved some way. I care that it smells like something has rotted in my bathroom.” 

Taking the bag, she used it to pick up the clothes Matt had shedded; getting them all packed inside she tied the bag up and passed it back to Terry. “Take this out, won’t you? Matt, let's get the shower started, you need to get cleaned and I need something for this growing headache.” 

Terry carried the bag out front, leaving it in the hallway outside the front door to be collected later. Before he turned to go back in, he checked the mailbox. Empty. Batman had responded to Matt a day or two ago but the kid had yet to reply. 

With disappointment and guilt sitting heavy in the pit of his stomach, Terry made his way past the now closed bathroom door. Crashing onto his bed, Terry pulled out his homework, resigned to working until everyone had gone to bed and he could sneak back to Wayne’s manor for a patrol round. It felt like he was forgetting something, but that could be a problem for future Terry. 

The morning didn’t bring any good news, the table at breakfast was awkward to say the least. An uneasy silence was held as their moms attempts at speaking to Matt were unreciprocated and Terry was too tired to answer with more than monosyllabic answers. Matt looked worse for ware, eyes still a bit read, cheeks puffy, and a hard glare framing his face. 

“Terry, are you taking Matt to school today?”

Before Terry could reply, Matt cut in, “Miguel’s mom is picking me up.”

Mary huffed, turning to look at her youngest, “sweetie, you should have told me. I don’t want her thinking we can’t take you.” 

Matt shrugged, “I didn’t ask for a ride. Miguel asked me if I’d like one.”

Terry slumped in his chair, dumb feelings of rejection floating about in his head. Of course Matt wouldn’t want Terry taking him to school. Still hurt. Still made the guilt pile up even higher. 

The same guilt that continued to build throughout the school day until Dana and Max were pulling him aside to get him to open up. With some bullying from Max and some advice from Dana, Terry made up his mind. He’d apologize- no excuses shoved in, he’d take Matt to the mall to get him a toy or two, and then they’d ice cream before coming home. Maybe even watch a movie when they got home. 

Of course, Terry’s plans never seem to follow through. 

Getting home before Matt, Terry had started his school work in hopes of catching up. Almost an hour into working, he heard the front door slide open for quietly sliding shut once more. Heavy steps made their way from the entrance, down the hall, and into Matt’s room. No greeting that he was home. 

Terry sighed, he’d give the kid a few minutes to settle in, then he’d start groveling. Shifting to get to his feet, he walked about his room pretending to clean up until impatience got the best of him. Terry headed towards his brother's room, knocking on the door. 

“Hey Matt, can we talk?” 

A moment passed with no response. Terry sighed, “I’m gonna come in, okay buddy?” He pushed the handle, watching the door slide open slowly, his antsy feelings bubbling up worse than before. 

Matt was sitting on his bed, shaking and clutching an envelope in his small hands. He had a flood of tears pouring down his cheeks, but his face lacked any real expression. To say it was worrying would be an understatement, and Terry’s feet couldn't carry him into the room fast enough. 

He dropped onto the bed, settling his hands lightly on his brother's shoulders not wanting to trigger his brother worse but wanting to offer some sort of comfort. Matt didn’t seem to notice or care that he was there, shoulders hitching with each wobbly breath he took.

“Matt, what happened? Are you hurt?” Terry tried, trying to access if there were any apparent wounds on his sibling. 

Matt grunted, shaking his head no. 

“Did something happen at school?” 

More shaky breaths before Matt spit out, “everything is shit. I lost my comic, m-my jackets gone, my teacher yelled at me cause I couldn’t focus, and. And I can’t find the stupid fucking stamps so I can send my letter out.” 

The boy was wracked with a new wave of sobs, doubled over and bawling into his lap. Terry gently pulled the envelope out of the boy's hands, setting it aside before pulling Matt closer. 

“Buddy,” Terry shushed him, rubbing a hand up and down his back, “it’s okay. We can get you a new jacket and comic, whatever you want. And I got some more stamps, bubba, it’s okay.”

“I don’t,” Matt took in a shaky breath, “I don’t want a new jacket. I want that one back.” 

Terry winced, “Matty, it was covered in-”

“I know! I know, it’s disgusting and it’s  _ your _ fault!” Matt threw an upset fist at Terry’s chest. 

“I know, I’m sorry, and I’ll get you a new jacket. Any one you want,” Terry promised, pulling Matt into a hug. 

Matt’s cries didn’t let up, his mumbling and whines of not wanting a new jacket were spoken into his brothers shoulders. Terry rubbed his back, helping him settle down over a few minutes until Matt was left trembling, leaning into his lap, taking little gasping puffs of air. 

“What’s wrong, Matty?”

Matt shrugged, sighing, “it was from dad.” 

Oh. 

Fuck.  _ Fuck _ . 

“He, he got it for me before. When he was still,” Matt broke into another fit, clutching onto Terry’s arms. 

“It’s the one he got you for our camping trip, right?” Terry asked, already knowing the answer. 

Matt nodded, sniffling. 

Terry bit his lip, and he thought it over. He pushed Matt back gently, settling him onto his bed and getting up. “Wait here, little man, I’ll be back in a second.” 

Terry made a beeline for his room, stepping into his closet and searching through the racks of clothes. When he found what he was looking for, he jerked it out and made his way back to his brothers room. 

The kid was still bent over himself; he was staring down at his hands once more. Terry stepped back up to the bed, sitting back down and presenting his find.

“It’s a bit big, but I’m sure you’ll grow into it.”

Matt looked up, choking on air. “What the hell  _ is  _ that?”

The garment was an old jacket. Some sort of windbreaker from his dad's college days, the worn insignia of his school on the sleeve. Matt reached out and ran his hands over the material, mouth hanging open. 

“He has more too. After… After he died, I took most of his clothes. You can go through them, if you want. Some are older and smaller, you might be able to fit them without too much bagginess in a few years,” Terry offered. 

Matt nodded, pulling the jacket into his arms. He was still trembling, but his tears had tried and his breathing was coming easier. He plopped the jacket into his lap, and threw his arms out, reaching for Terry. 

Terry scooped him into a hug, running a hand through his brother's hair in a comforting manner. The younger pulled back and started to slip the windbreaker on. It was ridiculously big on him, the sleeves drooping down past his hands and the hem settling on his thighs. But he looked happier. 

“Stamp next? And then maybe we can take a quick trip to the mall before mom gets home. We can check around and see if anywhere has Batman fidget cubes restocked?” 

A giggle slipped out of Matt’s mouth, and he readily agreed. “I need to um, I need to adjust my letter a bit first and then I’m ready to go.”

“Alright, I’ll go grab the stamps and get my shoes on, be back in a minute,” Terry told him, already headed for the door and feeling much better. Things were going to be okay.

Terry collapsed on his bed, grunting when he hit the mattress. He should make old man Wayne buy him a new one. He stretched out, back popping. He’d skipped patrol for the night; he’d already called Bruce earlier and told him to take a hike. He spent the entire night hanging out with Matt, buying him comics and a few toys and too much ice cream. When they’d made it home they stayed up watching movies until their mom came in and forced them off to bed. Matt even let Terry tuck him in, even going as far as letting his big brother plant a kiss on the crown of his head. 

Terry was feeling much better. His baby brother was feeling better. They were okay. And Matt looked so goofy in his new jacket, Dana was going to love all the pictures of him Terry snapped. 

And now he had a letter to get to. 

Terry reached over to the bedside table, grabbing the letter. He’d snuck out and grabbed it from the mailbox after putting Matt to bed. Laying back against the pillows, Terry read over the note. Then sat up and read it again.

_ Dear Batman, _

_ today was bad, im so  _ _ fucking _ _ mad.  _ _ i cant _ _. i wish you were around before when my dad was still alive. maybe you could have saved him. i dont have a lot from him now because i didnt stay with him a lot. yesterday jokerz attaked while me and terry were out and that  _ _ stupid shithead  _ _ and he needed me to leave so he could go pick a fight with them. he thinks i dont know he still gets in fights but thats not what matters. he locked me up in some stupid garbage can. it sounds funny hahaha, the girls that overheard me telling miguel about it laughed it up. so it must be so funny, i was locked in a small bin and it stunk so bad i couldnt breathe and it was dark and i was scared and i didnt know when terry would come back but it was so fucking funny _

_ the worst part was that whatever was in the dumpster ruined my jacket. it couldve been washed but my mom told me no. i dont know what to do, it was a jacket from my dad. I couldnt pay attention in class and i lost recess i had to stay inside instead of getting to play. its how im writing right now, my teacher wanted me to catch up on work but i need to talk to someone and youre always nice to me. Im sorry if you dont want to hear about this stuff from me. youre just one of the only people who listen to me. Im sorry.  _

__ _ -matt _

_ Batman!! Something good actually happened today? So, it was pretty embarrassing but Terry saw me crying and he actually helped. He gave me one of my dads old jackets, and he says hes gonna take me to the mall and get me some new stim toys and we might get ice cream? I’m really excited. I’m sorry this letter has so much to do with me and not much to do with you, but I hope you don’t mind. Me and Terry watched a few highlight reels of your coolest fights tonight too. You’re totally the schwayest hero (Supermans next on the list, you should team up with him more).  _

_ \- Matt : ) _

Terry took it in. The top part of the letter was written sloppily in pencil with several parts crossed out, the graphite smeared about. The second half was much more legible, done in a black pen after crossing out Matt’s initial sign off. It was sad, sad to know his little brother had an awful day at school, an awful night before, and it almost made him overlook the second half. He’d have to make tomorrow a perfect day for Matt, help him forget the previous days. He’d figure something out. Maybe he could get some more advice from Dana? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> huh?!?!?! i write fics exclusively about ?!? baby matt getting hurt only to find comfort ?!?! in his big bro!?!? shut up i have a niche i cant help it please im sorry aaaaaaaaaaa   
> also sorry for not responding to comments but just know i do read and appreciate them very much tytytyty

**Author's Note:**

> im playing a dangerous game having multiple chapter fic wips whoops


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